Between January 2020 and April 2021, WIC participation in Local Agency 7 (Dallas County) changed from 64,733 to 61,005, with a peak of 65,247 participants in July 2020 a decline of -5.76%. This year has seen a continuation of the downward trend in participation seen over the past five years, with participation levels reaching their five year low in February 2021.
Overall clinic participation has remained stable with Irving, Lake June, and Ledbetter servicing 36% of all WIC recipients across Local Agency 7. In contrast despite its small size the WIC clinic in Carrollton has experience a 3% drop in participants in comparison to March 2020. This is the steepest drop among all Local Agency 7 clinics.
| March 2021 Participation | Percent of LA7 Participats | Participation Change Prior Year | Participation Change Prior Month | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carrollton | 6 | 0.01 | -2.34 | -1.27 |
| Grand Prairie | 3672 | 6.12 | -1.06 | -0.06 |
| West Garland | 4095 | 6.82 | -0.65 | -0.25 |
| Irving | 6555 | 10.92 | 1.82 | 0.01 |
| North Dallas | 5855 | 9.76 | -0.12 | 0.30 |
| Duncanville | 2298 | 3.83 | -0.40 | -0.12 |
| Mesquite | 3024 | 5.04 | 0.38 | 0.14 |
| Lake June | 7396 | 12.33 | 0.25 | 0.08 |
| John West/Buckner | 4062 | 6.77 | 0.48 | 0.34 |
| Northwest Hwy | 3310 | 5.52 | 0.39 | 0.40 |
| Westmoreland | 3633 | 6.05 | 1.25 | -0.10 |
| Ledbetter | 7917 | 13.19 | -2.49 | -0.66 |
| Lancaster Road | 0 | 0.00 | -1.27 | NA |
| MLK Center | 0 | 0.00 | -0.97 | NA |
| Abrams Road | 3535 | 5.89 | -0.11 | -0.09 |
| Medical District | 305 | 0.51 | -1.06 | 0.03 |
| East Garland | 4338 | 7.23 | 0.73 | 0.00 |
Local Agency 7 experienced a brief period between January 2020 and July 2020 where participation change increased relative to a year prior. This has since trended downwards and participation is once more declining relative to a year ago, albeit at smaller levels than previously seen.
Many local agencies in geographies similar to Dallas experienced brief increases in WIC participation during the first half of 2020. Local Agency 1, 17, and 41 are the only agencies who have maintained an increased number of families within the program in March 2021 relative to a year prior. All other local agencies have return to pre-pandemic levels of participation.